But now South Lenoir outside hitter Rachel Dawson must part ways with the southern Lenoir County area she’s grown up in and get acquainted with a new team in Raleigh.

She recently accepted an offer to play volleyball at Meredith College and was joined by her parents, coaches and large group of friends at South Lenoir’s Munn Gymnasium Thursday for photos.

An honors student who’s had the same classmates since sixth grade, Dawson said Meredith seems to have a special closeness among the community.

“I went to Meredith in November sometime, and I fell in love with this beautiful place,” she said. “Everything is so nice there, everyone is so welcoming and they have a lot of traditions that made me feel like they’re a close-knit community.”

Dawson played volleyball six years, competing year-round in recreation and travel leagues. She landed onSouth Lenoir’s varsity squad as a sophomore and asked MC coach Fiona Barkley to come watch her play this past season in Deep Run.

The 5-foot-6 senior was impressed with the volleyball program that finished 21-10 last year and looks to bring her “positive energy” to the collegiate court.

This past season, the Blue Devils logged a 17-3 overall record and went undefeated in league play to win the inaugural Eastern Carolina 2A conference championship, preparation for Dawson to join the Avenging Angels. SL coach Susan Miller said Dawson was a key part of the successful season.

“She’s always the one who stays after in the gym,” Miller said of the exiting Dawson. “If she doesn’t have something quite right, she’s working on it. You can put her on the front row and you know everything is going to be alright; she’s going to do the best she possibly can.”

Dawson realized herimpressive vertical at a volleyball camp when she was younger, which encouraged her to keep playing throughout the years.

Page 2 of 2 - Additionally, playing for South Lenoir created everlasting friendships for her. She met her best friend Caroline Jones, who plays volleyball at LCC, on the court.

“(South Lenoir) is where I’ve gotten a lot of support,” Dawson said. “I had a rough time in high school; I’ve gone through a lot. I had a really encouraging group of friends and they took me in, took care of me.

“It’s nice to have that sense of community in a group of friends.”

As a player who joined the team as a timid teen, she’s grown into a leader — and that’s visible on the court. Going to Meredith is an accomplishment she wants to trickle down to the younger girls.

“I hope it makes other people want to play in college,” Dawson said.

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.